"Turning Up" the Social Emotional Skills of First Grades Through Hip-Hop: Examining How Young Children Develop Coping and Communication Skills Through Hip-Hop Play

• In Event: Critical Perspectives in Hip-Hop Theories, Praxis, and Pedagogies

Abstract

Autoethnographic in nature, this study examined ways in which first graders in a Black male first grade teacher’s class used Hip Hop therapeutically, while developing social emotional skills. Qualitative data sources collected throughout one full year. Data was analyzed using open and thematic coding; and triangulation (Patton, 2002). (1) personal memories/electronic classroom portfolios/ reflections and (2) external data (archived teaching evaluations, parents’ emails) were used to enhance fidelity and trustworthiness. Four vignettes were used to capture the major themes and findings of the study. Findings were that children demonstrated social emotional, cognitive, and language developmental outcomes, as a result of their engagement with Hip Hop play in their first grade classroom.

Author

• Anthony Broughton, Claflin University